Hose connector



Apri`l14,1942. s. BBEUGLE'R @2,279,437

HosE CONNECTOR Filed June 19, 1940 In substance, the invention Patented Apr. 14, 1942 U Nl :TED @ATHEN T OFFICE nosa coNrsnecrronV Samuel BgBeuglel; Los Angeles, Calif. Application June 19, 1940,`Serial No.1341,297

2 claims.

This invention has reference' to hose couplings, and particularly to contractile ferrules for compressibly engaging a hose end and for securing Ia connector or coupling member within the hose.

-For the purpose of securing acoupling -member within the end of a hose it has been past common practice to insert the coupling member within the hose end,.and then to apply a contractive clamp or contractive ferrule around the end portion of the hose 'to compress the hose about theinserted coupling member. These clamps and vcontractile ferrules have been -of Avarious kinds. "Clamps with multiple parts have. been bolted or otherwise secured around the hose. Wire or similar bindings have been used, and solid contractile ferrules have been used. In both the latter Ltypes the compressing and clamping action and y'function depend uponthe tensile strength or resistance of the metal of the binding or ferrule.

And in the solid ferrule type, which is contracted and compressed about the hose by a drawing or similar operation, contraction of the ferrule not only necessitates the use of yhighly specialized tools or machinery but also necessarilyvresults in elongation of the ferrule as a result of its diametralcompression. Such elongation of the ferrule, in forcible and clamping contact with the hose, necessarily elongates and stretches the hose and may result in its injury and nally result in premature rupture of the hose at the end, or just insidethe end, of the ferrule.

My invention provides a simple, highly effective, and easily contracted hose clamping and coupling retaining `ferrule which requires vno highly specialized tools for its contraction, which depends forits hose compressing and clamping function on the bending strength or resistance ofthe metal of the ferrule, and .whichhas no action of elongation when compressed'radially. comprises a ferrule designed. with a more or less cylindric body portion and a coupling engaging nange at one end. The whole ferrule, including the ange, is slotted through on one sideonly. The whole ferrulel is composedv of a comparatively non-elastieand deformable metalthat is, a comparatively soft rather than a hard ,metal-such, asfordinary diecast metalrorl soft brass. Having low elasticity the ferrule when contracted by bending will i maintain its contracted shape; and the thickness of the ferrule is such that when contractively bent tightly around the hose and the hose compressed by the ferrule, the ferrule will then of itself hold the members compressed and tightly ly shown at Il.

...improved .ferrule ward ,longitudinal .movement of the coupling member.

clamped by reason -of :thebending strength for resistance of the '.ferrule.

'In its original 'formqbefore-being compressed f the ferrule slotis wideenough.that, when closed or substantially closed zby compression, the ferrule will then grip and compress .the hose and also engage the coupling so.` as'v to lockit against longitudinal movement. During thecompressing bending action the ferrule'A is lchanged only':indi ameter. The compressing action is one'of;bend ing the ferrule circumferentially-rather than'one y'of compressing it inrlength, and: thus there isno Aattendant change of 'length Aof the ferrule such solid' ferruleA lis eFig. 4 is aside elevationof a. modified `ferrule structure, and v Fig. 5 is a transverse section on;line-"5*5 of Fig. 4.

In thedrawingga hose is shown Yat coupling member is more Ill-and a or less Vrdiagrammatical- This Acoupling member', here shown merely as ,tubulary ,may be .of any form desired and provided Awith any desired coupling means, such as screw-threads, etc. 'Typically such a coupling member' II will have a hose. engaging portion providedwth peripheral beadsor teeth or the like,v such as indicated at l2, for engaging the inner Awall of thehose. .As here shown, one of these Y,peripheral Abeads [2a Yforms a shoulder outside of whichtheiiange I3 lof ,my

.may engage, Yto .preventout- Or, .as is most commonly thecasewin coupling members now in use, thefexternalform vof the couplingmemberwlbe suchiastoprovide .a..groove, such ,as Y illustratively indicated .at. I 2b,

in which the inner edge of the ferrule flange I3 may engage to solidly lock the coupling member against longitudinal movement. The particular structure of the coupling member is, however, no part of the present invention, it only being desirable that the coupling member present a tially cylindric body portion tee'th may vary as .compressed in hose until the -inner edge I6 of flange lcompressed about the hose, the

shoulder or a groove against or in which the ferrule ange may engage when contracted.

The ferrule itself is constructed with a substan- I4 having circumferteeth I5 on its inner surface to The form of these grooves or desired. At one end the ferrule is provided with the inwardly projecting ange I3 Whose inner edge I6 is adapted to be snugly contracted around the coupling II. A comparatively wide slot I1, lying generally in a radial and longitudinal plane, extends through the whole ferrule, both ferrule body and flange, at one side only. As originally manufactured, and before application to the hose, the ferrule is in the expanded condition shown in Fig. 3, slot I1 being open sufficiently widely that the ferrule may be easily slipped over the end of a hose of the size for which it is intended. Also, in this original expanded condition, the expanded central opening I6 is large enough to slip over the inner end (right hand end in Fig. 1) of the coupler nipple or over any shoulder', such as I2a, on thenipple. This is necessary as the outer end of the coupler `usually has an enlarged head of some sort. It will be understood that the form of the coupler and its nipple may be varied; my contractible ferruleI will coact with any form of coupler which has a suitable engagement shoulder.

iThe whole rferrule is composed integrally of some suitable comparatively soft and deformable metal of relatively low elasticity. Ordinary diecast metal, or ordinary medium soft brass, or cast brass, are instances of suitable metals for the purpose. To apply the ferrule and to secure a coupling member in the hose, the ferrule and coupling are applied to the hose in the relative positions shown in Fig. 1, and the ferrule is then diameter by bending it about the hose is tightly gripped and the I3 is snugly compressed compressed into engage- I2b or the shoulder I2a.

ential grooves or grip the hose.

about the coupling or is ment with the groove vThe ferrule is preferably so designed in relativer suiciently tightly slot I1 will be closed or nearly closed, preferably. Some variation is allowable in the amount of compression given the hose and in the Width of the closeddown slot; and these permissible variations adapt dimensions that, when it is y any given ferrule to substantial variations of hose diameter.

Using such materials as have been designated, the wall of ferrule body I4 is made of sufficient thickness that, when the ferrule is forcibly bent and set in its contracted hose compressing condition, the bending strength-or resistance of the compressed ferrule wall is then great enough that the ferrule will, of itself, hold the hose compressed, and thus ma' tain a tight grip on the hose and compress it tightly about the coupling member. As an illustration of comparative diy mensions suitable for the purpose, but without limitation, I may say mately external that for a hose of approxidiameter, I nd that a ferrule approximately 3A" material. has suiiicient bending strength' to hold a thick Walled hose properly compressed about the coupling member.

Because the ferrule is compressed only in diameter or radius by being bent circumferentially, it is of course not elongated during the compressing operation, and as a result there is no tendency to stretch or otherwise injure the hose during the clamping operation. And the fact that the ferrule is contracted solely by circumferential bending also lends itself to a simple and easily performed operation of contraction. In fact, no special tools are at all necessary for the purpose. The ferrule can be contracted by careful hammering or by the use of a vise or a heavy pair of pliers. It is preferred however to use a tool composed essentially of two blocks, having opposite semi-circular recesses of a diameter equal to that of the contracted ferrule. Such blocks can be used in an ordinary vise, or can be incorporated in a pair of tongs or pliers.

Figs. 4 and 5 show a modied form,

similar in all particulars to the simple form previouslyA delong and with a wall approximately ggf thick, of ordinary die-cast `in compressed condition about the hose.

` the wall and flange being scribed, but having in addition a locking or hooking arrangement for positively locking the ferrule One side of the gap I'Ia is provided with a headed lug 20, here shown illustratively as having a` T-head 2 I. The other side of gap I1a has a substantially correspondingly shaped recess 22 whose entrance walls 23 are somewhat flared so that head 2I can be squeezed through the entrance and then be held in place by shoulders 24. The lock, so constituted, prevents any liability of the compressed ferrule beingopened or loosened by accident or rough handling.

I claim:

1. A compression ferrule for a hose connector which has a tubular stem insertible in the hose end, said ferrule consisting exclusively of a hollow cylindric body wall with an inwardly extending stem engaging flange at one end, the wall and flange being slotted through at one side only so as to allow the ferrule Wall to be radially compressed by circumferential bending into compressing engagement with the hose and the flange to be compressed into engagement -with the stem, composed of relatively non-elastic, deformable metaland of such thickness as to inherently retain theirbent set against the expansive forces of the compressed hose.

2. A compression ferrule for a hose connector which has a tubular stem insertible in the hose end, said ferrule comprising a hollow cylindric body wall with an inwardly extending stem engaging ange at one end, the wall and flange being slotted through at one side only so as to allow the ferrule wall to be radially compressed by circumferential bending into compressing engagement with the hose and the flange to be compressed into engagement with the stem, the wall and flange being composed of relatively nonelastic, deformable metal and of such thickness as to retain their bent set against the expansive forces of the compressed hose; and the opposing slot edges ofl the ferrule wall having respectively a shouldered recess and a complementary headed lug adapted to be forced into the recess to lock the ferrule in compressed condition.

SAMUEL B. BEUGLER. 

